Grealish raises bonuses at Man City ahead of Leipzig visit

Jack Grealish may never record the stats to justify his status as the first English footballer to cost over £100million.

For Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, the reckoning of Grealish’s impact goes beyond his goals and assists – although he would certainly be delighted to celebrate.

Grealish brings balance to City which means, for now, the winger is a key part of Guardiola’s starting XI amid hectic days on and off the pitch for the club.

City resume their pursuit of their first Champions League conquest, meeting in the round of 16 against Leipzig, the home side of the first leg on Wednesday.

Grealish was never guaranteed to be in that kind of billboard game in his first season with City, after Aston Villa sold him for $100m ($139m at the time). era) during the summer 2021 transfer window.

In fact, when they were knocked out by Real Madrid in last year’s semi-finals, Grealish barely played in two of City’s six knockout games, always coming off the bench in the second half.

Now he is one of the first Guardiola to score in his starting line-up.

Grealish has started from scratch in City’s last seven Premier League games and in the last nine in all competitions, entrenched on the left wing. His goal contribution remains modest – three in 28 games, all in the English league – but two of them were last month and in memorable duels against Manchester United and Arsenal.

Guardiola has recently touted his ‘ambition and aggressiveness’.

“Whoever wants to take risks and make important decisions is what makes the difference, Guardiola said. He must continue like this.”

Leipzig are encouraged by the possibility of having Christopher Nkunku in attack, even if he comes off the bench. He played against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga this weekend, his first game since injuring his left knee just before the World Cup trip to France.

The striker would be a substitute again against City. Spaniard Dani Olmo, his attacking partner, is ruled out with a muscle condition.

Leipzig are fifth in the German league, with just one defeat in their last 20 games in all competitions. They reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2020. City lost to Chelsea in the 2021 final, the club’s best result in the tournament.